Van Persie ready to talk about staying with the Gunners
LONDON: Arsenal are hopeful of finally opening contract talks with Robin van Persie and his representatives over the next month.
The club captain and talisman is out of contract next year and has so far refused to publicly discuss his long-term future, but the indications are that he is now prepared to hold provisional talks with the Arsenal hierarchy.
It remains unlikely that any deal will be finalised before the end of the season – and there is clarity over Arsenal’s Champions League status – but Van Persie’s willingness to listen would still be an extremely positive step forward for the club.
It is understood that Arsenal are considering an offer whereby Van Persie would be paid a substantial ‘renewal’ fee in addition to significantly improved terms on a salary that is currently around £80,000 a week.
Van Persie will be aware that other players of comparable world-class quality are on around double that wage, with Arsenal considering a rise that would take him beyond £100,000 a week.
Arsenal have around £55mil available to invest in the squad and must balance the desire to renew Van Persie’s contract with having funds to spend this summer on new players.
Wenger’s budget includes player wages, creating a quandary over how much money is directed towards the renewal of contracts. Even if Van Persie does not accept the likely offer from Arsenal of a four-year contract, his departure this summer is not a foregone conclusion.
Arsenal seriously considered holding Samir Nasri to his contract last summer and, if the same scenario arises with Van Persie, there will be a strong argument to keep him for another season even if he could then leave for nothing in the summer of 2013.
Van Persie is the Premier League’s leading goalscorer and, at such a pivotal moment in Arsenal’s history, is clearly of greater shortterm importance than Nasri.
With Van Persie turning 29 in August, there is also no guarantee that leading European clubs will be prepared to pay a transfer fee in excess of £20mil.